Package for shipping and storing photovoltaic panel products

ABSTRACT

A packaging system for storing and transporting one or more flat panel products, the packaging system comprising a plurality of tines, a method of machine-assisted loading a packaging system comprising a plurality of tines, and a method of storing and transporting one or more flat panel products using a packaging system comprising a plurality of tines with alternating channel depths.

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/371,697 filed Aug. 8, 2010, and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirely as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of packaging for shipping and storing products, and more specifically to packaging systems for shipping and storing glass-based photovoltaic panel products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Glass based panel products which are formed in sheet, plate or panel construction such as multilayer photovoltaic panels can be challenging to package and ship as they are prone to crack if dropped or supported only on the edges in a horizontal orientation.

While methods of packaging, transporting, and storing flat panel photovoltaic products are known in the art, there are a number of problems associated with these methods. By way of example, photovoltaic modules stored in packaging systems of the prior art must be spaced by a distance equal to the thickness of the photovoltaic module and it's protruding junction box, which leads to a relatively low packing density and few photovoltaic modules in a box of a given size.

As the cost per watt of photovoltaic energy goes down the relative cost per watt of the materials and systems used during storage and transportation of photovoltaic modules become an important cost element and it is therefore desirable to minimize this cost.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of the invention provides a system of packaging flat panel products such as photovoltaic modules by securing the flat panel products with tines having alternating channel depths to allow the flat panel products to be arranged with offset heights to decrease the spacing between adjacent panels. In some embodiments the panels are characterized by protruding features located at the edges, for example protruding electrical junction box housings.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a system and method of automated loading of photovoltaic panels by way of special features within the securing tines to allow for top-loading at multiple angles, particularly for automated means such as multi-axis robotic arms.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a packaging system with three easily removable walls that provides for top-loading the packaging system at high speed with an automated means such as a multi-axis robotic arm.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a package for shipping a flat panel product is provided wherein the securing tines are rounded or angled to improve the tolerance of the packaging system to positioning errors in a multi-axis robotic arm which is used to load flat panel products into the packaging system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a photovoltaic module packaging system according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a photovoltaic module packaging system partially loaded with photovoltaic panels according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A is a close-up side-view of alternating height tines within a photovoltaic module packaging system according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a close-up view of the tip of a protruding tine feature according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a close-up bottom view of the layered structure of the exmplary cardboard tines according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the figures and more particularly to FIG. 1, a shipping container 107 constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. Shipping container 107 may be sized to hold photovoltaic panels or other flat plate products for shipping and storage. In one embodiment, shipping container 107 is about 1.5 meters long by about 1 meter wide by about 1 meter high in order to house up to 50 photovoltaic panels in a single container for compact shipping. Other dimensions may be chosen appropriately to match the size of flat panel products that will be housed in the container for shipping and storage. In FIG. 1, a series of tines 100 are mounted to support rails 103. In one embodiment, tines 100 are comprised of layers of reinforced cardboard, a bottom view of which is shown in FIG. 4, and are attached via an adhesive to mounting rails 103. The mounting rails may be comprised of lightweight and/or inexpensive woods such as pine, douglas fir, or other softwoods. In some embodiments, hardwoods such as oak or cherry may be used to transport heavier flat panel products in excess of 50 kilograms per panel. Optionally, lightweight and inexpensive materials such as PET and recycled plastic may be used for the pallet support frame. Optional support rails 102 may be used to transfer an additional portion of the weight of the flat panel products directly to the underlying frame of the pallet support rails 103.

A planar base 104 may optionally be used to form a mounting surface on the pallet and to further provide an enclosing surface for the panels within shipping container 107. Additional support and lateral security is provided to the flat panel products using tines 101 secured to vertical wall 105. Vertical sidewalls 105 and 106 along with planar base 104 may be comprised of reinforced cardboard to provide inexpensive enclosing walls for the flat panel products. In addition, other low-cost materials such as recycled PET and plastic may be used to form these walls.

Tines 100 are spaced to define a plurality of channels dimensioned to accept flat panel products having a predetermined thickness, for example 10 mm, for example 15 mm. Other channel dimensions may be used in accordance with various embodiments of the invention to cause the panels to be held in a secure fashion, such as 5 mm, 8 mm, and in some cases up to 30 mm in order to allow for loading and unloading the flat panel products without requiring undue force, for example an insertion force of less than 1,000 Newtons (N). In some embodiments, the tines 100 may have alternating depths to reduce the space required to package flat panel products with protruding edge features. In FIG. 3A, tines 100 are depicted with channel depths 302 and 303 which are arranged in an alternating fashion down the length 304. The benefits of this novel arrangement of channel depths 302 and 303 is depicted in FIG. 2, wherein the flat panel products 201 and 202 are shown resting at alternating heights as a result of the alternating channel depths. This novel arrangement of flat panel products provides a system wherein a series of flat panel products 201 and 202 are packed more tightly than the protruding edge features 205 would otherwise allow, for example in the case of constant depth tines. During the loading process, flat panel products 201 and 202 are added to the packaging system with inverted orientations relative to each other as shown in FIG. 2 to allow the panels 201 and 202 to be packaged together in a relatively small volume and to keep the edge features 205 from requiring a greater spacing between adjacent flat panel products.

In an alternative embodiment, edge securing tines 101 may have an analogous pattern of alternating channel depths to allow for arranging flat panel product in an offset manner horizontally in cases where protruding edge features are located at various locations around the perimeter of the flat panel products 201 and 202.

Advantageously, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has at least three sides of the packaging system open during loading to facilitate rapid placement of flat panel products and to provide an unobstructed point of entry for automated loading equipment such as multi-axis robotic arms. In other embodiments, only one side of the packaging system is open during loading, and in further embodiments, two sides of packaging system are open to provide the unobstructed point of entry for automated loading equipment.

During the step of loading flat products 201 and 202 into container 107, the inventors have found that the allowable tolerance to positioning errors of, for example, a multi-axis robot is increased by angling or rounding-off the end portion 305 of tines 100 as shown in FIG. 3B. In this close-up view of a single tine, top portion 305 is angled or rounded with respect to vertical edge 309 by angle 308. The inventors have found that multi-axis robots, often moving at high speed to rapidly load flat panel products and relying on cameras and other positioning tools commonly known in the art, will occasionally have small positioning errors relative to channels 307, whereby the angled feature 305 causes flat panel product 201 to load easily into channel region 307 by forcing tines 100 to flex or bend slightly. This also aids in human assisted loading of flat panel products 201 into channel region 307. In some embodiments, the tines have rounded tips, and in other embodiments the tines have pointed tips.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a lower section 310 of channel region 307 may be widened or rounded slightly to a greater channel width than upper region 311 of channel region 307. By increasing the width of channel region 307 in region 310 by, for example, 10%, 20%, or in some embodiments 40% of the width at the upper portion of the channel, the loading of flat panel products 201 can be improved by allowing the flat panel product to be loaded at a slight angle with respect to their final, vertical orientation. By allowing a multi-axis robot to load flat panel product 202 into a channel 307 at a slight angle, the risk of impact with a previously loaded flat panel product 201 is reduced, which allows the loading of flat panel products to proceed more rapidly in certain embodiments. 

1. A package for shipping one or more flat panel products, the package comprising: a pallet; a planar base forming a mounting surface on the pallet; a container frame; a plurality of combs affixed to the frame, each of the combs comprising a plurality of tines; the tines being spaced to define a plurality of channels dimensioned to accept flat panel products having a predetermined thickness; the tines being dimensioned to create spaces between adjacent channels;
 2. The package of claim 1 wherein the combs are comprised of at least two layers of corrugated cardboard.
 3. The package of claim 2, wherein the free ends of the tines are rounded.
 4. The package of claim 2, wherein the free ends of the tines are pointed.
 5. The package of claim 2, comprising a means for increasing the effective width of the channels during a machined-assisted loading of photovoltaic panels.
 6. The package of claim 5, wherein the tines are deflected by a distance equal to 50% of the space between tines during the step of machine-assisted loading of the photovoltaic panels.
 7. The package of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels comprise a rounded base section that allows flat panels to be loaded at an angle with respect to an axis perpendicular to the planar base section.
 8. The package of claim 7 wherein the angle with respect to an axis perpendicular to the planar base section is at least 10 degrees.
 9. The package of claim 1 wherein spaces between at least one set of tines comprises: a first depth; a second depth; and wherein the spaces between tines have an alternating and repeating pattern of a first depth and a second depth; and wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth by an amount greater than or equal to a dimension of an edge mounted feature of the flat panel product.
 10. The package of claim 8 wherein the first depth is between 5 and 8 centimeters and the second depth is between 10 and 16 centimeters.
 11. The package of claim 8 wherein the first depth is between 3 and 11 centimeters and the second depth is between 14 and 25 centimeters
 12. The package of claim 8 wherein the container frame comprises reinforced cardboard.
 13. The package of claim 12, wherein the free ends of the tines are rounded.
 14. The package of claim 12, wherein the free ends of the tines are pointed.
 15. The package of claim 12, comprising a means for increasing the effective width of the channels during a machined-assisted loading of photovoltaic panels.
 16. The package of claim 15, wherein the tines are flexible during the step of machine-assisted loading of the photovoltaic panels.
 17. The package of claim 16, wherein the plurality of channels comprise a rounded base section that allows flat panels to be loaded at an angle with respect to an axis perpendicular to the planar base section.
 18. The package of claim 17 wherein the angle with respect to an axis perpendicular to the planar base section is at least 10 degrees.
 19. The package of claim 8 wherein the pallet comprises recycled PET.
 20. A method of storing and transporting one or more flat panel products comprising machine-assisted loading of a flat panel product into a package, and wherein the package comprises: a pallet; a planar base forming a mounting surface on the pallet; a container frame; a plurality of combs fixed to the frame, each of the combs comprising a plurality of tines; the tines being spaced to define a plurality of channels dimensioned to accept flat panel products having a predetermined thickness; and wherein at least one set of tines comprises; a first depth; a second depth; and wherein the spaces between tines have an alternating and repeating pattern of a first depth and a second depth; and wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth by an amount greater than or equal to a dimension of an edge mounted feature of the flat panel product.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the combs are comprised of at least two layers of corrugated cardboard.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the free ends of the tines are rounded.
 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the free ends of the tines are pointed.
 24. The method of claim 20, comprising a means for increasing the effective width of the channels during a machined-assisted loading of photovoltaic panels.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the tines are flexible during the step of machine-assisted loading of the photovoltaic panels.
 26. The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of channels comprise a rounded base section, the method further comprising loading flat panels at an angle with respect to an axis perpendicular to the planar base section.
 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the angle with respect to an axis perpendicular to the planar base section is at least 10 degrees. 